colony

noun (plural -nies) Etymology: Middle English colonie, from Middle French & Latin; Middle French, from Latin colonia, from colonus farmer, colonist, from colere to cultivate — more at wheel Date: 14th century 1. a. a body of people living in a new territory but retaining ties with the parent state b. the territory inhabited by such a body 2. a distinguishable localized population within a species <

a colony of termites

> 3. a. a circumscribed mass of microorganisms usually growing in or on a solid medium b. the aggregation of zooids of a compound animal 4. a. a group of individuals or things with common characteristics or interests situated in close association <

an artist colony

> b. the section occupied by such a group 5. a group of persons institutionalized away from others <

a leper colony

> <

a penal colony

>; also the land or buildings occupied by such a group